


Let Your Heart Be Light

by StarryStories2



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Fluff, Gen, Kinda, Prompt: Snowed In, Sick Fic, Steph brown gets a hug, Steph brown needs a hug, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Tim Drake is Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28458852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryStories2/pseuds/StarryStories2
Summary: The snow had brought down a nearby powerline, plunging Steph’s dorm room into total darkness roughly two hours ago. Not only that, but the snow had also made the roads too dangerous to drive on, meaning no one was coming to fix the power any time soon.
Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39
Collections: Gift Exchange 2020





	Let Your Heart Be Light

**Author's Note:**

  * For [birdwafflecereal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdwafflecereal/gifts).



Stephanie let out an earth shattering sneeze. She groaned afterwards, sipping on a mug of microwave noodle soup to soothe her irritated throat. Steph grimaced a little. The soup was rather terrible, but it was better than nothing.

_ Of all the times for the power to go out.  _ She thought. 

The snow had brought down a nearby powerline, plunging Steph’s dorm room into total darkness roughly two hours ago. Not only that, but the snow had also made the roads too dangerous to drive on, meaning no one was coming to fix the power any time soon.

She shivered and hugged her blanket a little closer. It also meant she couldn’t go out to  buy cold medicine, and due to her incompetence, she had forgotten to plug her phone in the night before. So calling someone for groceries was out of the question. She didn’t want to bother the Waynes anyway. It’s Christmas, a time to get together with family and the last thing they’d probably want for her to barge in with her problems. 

Stephanie took another sip of her soup, slurping up a noodle. She scrunched her face in disgust before setting the mug aside on her bedside table. She could manage. She had for years. Just another Christmas Eve alone. 

_ Like I expected anything different, _ she thought sadly.  _ Dad’s in Jail again and mom’s still in rehab, not to mention that my roommate already left for the holidays.  _ But in a way, it was kind of nice to have the holidays to herself. She could decorate her room however she wanted, as long as it was inside her extremely low budget. She could play her favorite Christmas songs full blast without complaint, if it wasn’t for the aforementioned fact that her phone was dead. She always got what she wanted for Christmas, because she was the only one buying.

Steph shook her pressure-filled head.  _ Now that’s just depressing _ , she thought to herself. She tried to think of something to lift her spirits, but the more she looked around her side of the dorm room the harder it was. Her little dollar store snowmen collection that cluttered her dresser spoke of a festive obsession that had yet to be intervened. A single purple and white stocking with “Stephanie” carefully added in clear gold, glitter paint hung off one of the ends of her curtain rod. Cheap Christmas lights, with half the lights broken already (although due to the power outage she couldn’t tell), hung about the perimeter of her room, reminding her that no one was there to help her when she had put it up.

“Dis isn’t helpin’,” she moaned to herself as she flopped onto her back rather dramatically. She curled into her comforter and blankets and turned towards her window. She could see the snow still falling from the darkening sky….

….

_ Tap tap tap _

What  _ is that awful noise?  _ Steph thought, still half asleep.

_ Tap Tap Tap _ it came again, louder and more insistent this time.

“If you don’ ‘ave waffles, goh ahwah,” Steph threatened, her eyes still closed.

There was a soft  _ click _ that gave way to a sliding noise.

“Steph,” someone whispered.

“Noh waffle-y, noh stay-y,” 

“Steph, it’s Tim,”

Stephanie cracked an eye open and it was indeed Tim, or should she say, it was Robin.

“ _ D’im _ !” she groaned as she rolled over in her bed, “Noh names in cosdume!” she chided.

“We are literally the only two people here.” he reminded, “And the Batfam Christmas eve patrol started hours ago! We were supposed to team up and handle the narrows  _ and _ win the annual snowball fight! I’ve been getting pummeled without you!”

Steph turned back towards him and sat up a little.

“Wha’ are you talkin’ abou’?” she asked through the snot in her nose.

“What am I– The annual–” Tim spluttered, “I thought we talked about this! It used to be every man for himself, but since we have an even number this year we drew teams! Weren’t you there for that?”

“I don’ remember dhat,”

Tim paused a moment, looking Steph up and down

“Are you sick?”

“Noh!” she lied, burrowing herself further into her covers. Even if they had invited her to that annual snowball thing, which was making her heart beat in excitement that such a beautiful thing existed, it wasn’t like they wanted to deal with her problems, medical or emotional.

“You’re sick.” Tim stated, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Phone’s dead,” she stated simply.

“Soooo charge it?” Tim offered,

“In case you haven’ noticed, boy wonder, dhe power’s ou’ and nah comin’ bac’ anytime soon widh all dha’ snow,”

“Why didn’t you use your comm?”

_ Oh. _

She hadn’t thought of that. 

Besides that would’ve meant that she could have only contacted the Waynes and she’d rather have a phone where she could try calling a rando from school she was on friendly-ish terms with.

“Steph?”

“Because I didn’ dhink of i’,” she bit back, “Now look, I dorry I missed padrol and messed up your snowball figh’, but I feel ‘ike dhere’s an elephan’ dompin’ aroun’ my hea’ and I’d rather nah ruin your ‘hris-mas, Goodnigh’.” 

“You’re cold is not going to ruin Christmas, Steph,”

“‘old or nah I would ‘ave messed i’ up for dou anywah!”

“Steph!” Tim gasped. She could hear him struggle to find something to say. “You– how would you ruin Christmas?”

“Wha’?”

“How would you ruin Christmas?” he repeated as he sat down on the side of her bed, “What could you possibly do that could ruin Christmas! If this is some excuse to get out of spending the night at the manor because you think B is mad at you for some convoluted reason, I don’t wanna hear it. B isn’t mad at you and Alfred expects you to be there for Christmas cinnamon rolls!”

Steph froze.

“Come on,” Tim said as he stood and started fiddling with his wrist computer, “I can call the batmobile here and we can ride back to the manor and have Alfred fuss over you and get out his witchcraft home remedies.”

Steph tried to bite back a sob, which came out as a half squeak half sniffle.

“Steph?” Tim asked.

She didn’t answer,

“Steph,” he began as he made his way to the other side of the bed, “you’re acting really weird….” he trailed off as her face came into view, “Steph what’s wrong? Why are you crying? I’m sorry if I was too mean. You don’t have to-”

“You invited me?” she asked through her tears, “Dou invi-ed me do ‘hris-mas?”

Tim froze.

“You didn’t think we invited you for Christmas?” Tim asked, his face completely slack with shock.

Steph shook her head.

“I- I-, hold on a minute.” Tim pressed the comm in his ear, “Robin to Nightwing….no I’m not hiding, I went to find Steph….Dick she hasn’t been playing this entire time….she’s in bed with a nasty cold and thought she wasn’t invited for Christmas” Tim winced, “No she didn’t and she didn’t know about the snowball fight either….Well I thought that too!” He turned to her, “Haven’t you been getting Alfred’s texts?” he asked.

Steph blinked.

“Alfed ‘ex’s?”

“Apparently not since she looked at me like I’d grown a fifth head,” Tim said into his comm, “No you don’t have to– we were just going to take the batmobile there’s no need for–” Tim sighed, “you’re already here aren't you”

“What is this I hear about Steph not knowing she was invited for Christmas!” Nightwing nearly shouted as he slipped through her window with all the grace of his gymnastic background before plopping down on her bed and wrapping her in one of his Dick Grayson Hugs **TM** , which caused her against her wishes to start crying harder.

“Shh” Dick soothed, “Hey it’s okay. Why didn’t you think you were invited?”

“Because I’m nah family,” she sobbed, “I jus’ ged in dhe wah,”

“Stephanie!” Dick exclaimed, “What are you talking about? Of course you’re family!”

“Wha’?” She asked as she looked up at him.

Dick shook his head. “Steph, you know our secret is not one we entrust lightly. We’ve pretty much thought of you as family since we told you.”

“‘eally?” she asked, failing to fight against the hope building in her chest.

“Really,” Dick replied, and Tim nodded his confirmation as well.

Stephanie started wiping her eyes, and rubbing her nose on her sleeve. Tim handed her the box of tissues on her bedside table.

“Wait a minute!” he stated as he turned back to the side table, “Is this...Microwave noodle soup...in a mug?”

“I’ wah dhe bes’ I had,” Steph confessed, still trying to pull herself together.

Tim and Dick shared a look that she didn’t understand.

“Steph, here’s what’s going to happen.” Dick began, “Tim is going to pack you an overnight bag and throw out your disgusting soup,”

“‘Ey! Don’ insul’ my ‘oup!” Sure it  _ was _ disgusting, but only she could talk about her soup like that.

“Secondly,” Dick continued, “I’m going to find you a domino mask and get you to the batmobile. When we get to the manor I’ll leave you in the very good hands of Alfred, who knows at least ten guaranteed cures to the common cold. Thirdly, once he’s done fussing over you, we’ll have our Christmas eve movie night. Sounds good?”

Steph’s mouth opened and closed like a catfish out of water. Finally she managed a shaky nod.

“Good,” Dick said as he stood up and wrapped her in a particularly fluffy purple blanket. Tim went around her room packing things in one of her backpacks. 

“Where do you keep your dominos?” Dick asked.

“dhe ‘oiler ‘osdume doesn’ ‘ave a domino,” Steph explained, “i’s a mas’,”

“I have a spare,” Tim offered, pulling a domino out of one of his belt compartments, before throwing it at Dick who caught it.

Dick smoothed out the material as best he could over her eyes.

“I’s a bid ‘mall,” she commented.

“Blame Timmy’s thin features,” Dick smirked.

“Hey!”

“Is the batmobile here yet?” Dick asked, ignoring his brother’s half-hearted glare. 

Tim checked his wrist computer.

“Two minutes,” he reported.

“Where’s B?” Dick asked, “Does he know the change in plans?”

Tim snorted.

“I think so, since he’s  _ in _ the batmobile,”

Dick laughed.

Steph smiled too, despite her throat feeling like sandpaper. It would be her first Christmas in a long time that she didn’t have to spend alone.

A Christmas where she was wanted.

“Alfed bedder ‘ave waffles in dhe mornin’ or I’ll sue!”

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas Jay!  
> I hope you like it! :)


End file.
